STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. -- Kimberly Smith was thrilled when she got mail from Bank of America that was supposed to contain a reduction of her mortgage's interest rate -- until she opened the envelope. The monthly savings was only $1.61.

"They've got to be kidding. This has to be a Halloween joke," White said.

The bank says White was signed up for the Making Homes Affordable program, which has guidelines set by the federal government.

11Alive's Bill Liss contacted Bank of America and said he was confident they would be able to find a modification that would work for White.

After additional consideration and recalculation, the bank came back with an offer that reduced her interest rate from 7.87 percent to 4 percent. The savings under that new rate dropped to $262 per month.

"I cried. I was excited. I was just happy. It was a blessing because without you all I would not have been able to get what I have now," White said.

Most importantly, White now gets to keep her house.

11Alive's Help Desk team is taking an in-depth look at mortgage and foreclosure issues across Metro Atlanta.